Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has lifted the lid on the long-rumored fallout between him and ODM leader Raila Amolo Odinga, revealing that what many perceived as a bitter political break-up was, in fact, a well-choreographed political strategy.
In a detailed reflection shared this week, Mwaura recounted how his political journey intertwined with Raila’s, describing key behind-the-scenes moments that shaped his transition from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to the Jubilee Party.
“Many people remember how the fallout between me and Raila Odinga panned out. Little do they know that it was a well-choreographed strategy,” Mwaura stated.
The government spokesperson revealed that on Wednesday, August 25, 2016, he met Raila at his Capital Hill office to brief him on his intention to contest the Ruiru parliamentary seat.
However, he had concluded that running under an ODM ticket would be “untenable.”
“I told him that it was untenable for me to run on an ODM ticket and win. I thanked him for ODM having nominated me to Parliament, then I told him that I could only win through the Jubilee Party,” Mwaura recounted.
He said Raila responded positively, calling him “bold” and even promising to “fight” him publicly to help raise his political profile.
“He said that I was very bold, he blessed me and he proposed that he will ‘fight’ me in order to make me popular,” Mwaura said, adding that only the two of them knew the plan.
The spokesperson linked this meeting to earlier interactions with Raila and Suna East MP Junet Mohammed dating back to March 2014, shortly after the chaotic ODM party elections at Kasarani — an event infamously dubbed the ‘Men in Black’ fiasco.
Mwaura recalled that during those elections, internal divisions and alleged favoritism led to violence and the collapse of the voting process. He said he was among those who stood for fairness and was later commended by Raila for “saving the party.”
“Jakom was so happy with me that I had ‘saved’ the party. He told me that I could easily be elected in any ODM stronghold if elections could be held at that point,” Mwaura revealed.
Following the events of 2014, Mwaura said he worked closely with Raila on party matters and was later nominated to Parliament by ODM.
However, after assessing the political climate in Kiambu County, he decided to shift allegiance to the Jubilee Party, which later led to his nomination to the Senate.
“Interestingly, on the same day one year later, I was nominated to the Senate vide a gazette notice backdated to 24th August 2016. The rest is history,” he said.
Mwaura concluded his account by attributing his political journey to divine providence.
“It is God who gives and the one who takes. Praise be to His holy name,” he affirmed.